My Top 5 Tricks for Getting Things Done

I haven’t made a lot of art lately, but I’ve been working on many things behind the scenes - my membership program, my first course, and a children’s book project that’s been on my mind for the last decade.

I’m pleased to say that, for once, I’m actually making progress on my long term goals. On top of these projects, I’m still managing to keep up with a weekly blog post and and monthly newsletter. Recently, I even catalogued every art piece I every made (another project that’s been on my mind for years).

Between me and you, I’m impressed by my own productivity.

But it hasn’t always been this way. Far from it. Being productive as a freelancer with no boss has been tough. No one holds me accountable to deadlines. And working from home brings its own challenges. There’s always things that need to be put away around the house.

Lately, I’ve fallen into a rythm that’s helped me get the important stuff done. Accomplishing these big goals is everything, as I talked about in my recent How I Prioritize What to Work On post.

Today, I want to share some of my tricks with you. I want to inspire you to work on that dream project you’ve had on the back burner for years.

1. Repeating Tasks Weekly

If there’s one tip I can give artists to help them get the important things done, THIS IS IT. I attribute most of my success to this tip alone. First, I repeat most tasks weekly on the same days of the week. Here’s what my schedule looks like:

• Monday: Print & Ship Orders

• Tuesday: Work on Blog Post (& Schedule Post for Wednesday)

• Wednesday: FLOATING

• Thursday: Print & Ship Orders

• Friday: List New Art Print in Shop & Clean Studio

Then, I have floating tasks that I’ve been checking off at the end of every week. These tasks are floating because I normally have to spend ore than one day working on them. Lately these have been:

• Film One Segment of Course

• Produce One Piece of Content for My Membership Program

• Illustrate One Book Spread

I’m not sure why structuring by week works better than by day or by month. It just does. I’ve tried listing out tasks to do per month, and the timeline feels too abstract. The only thing I manage to repeat per month is my newsletter, and that’s only because my subscribers hold me accountable.

2. My 3x3 To-Do List

I’ve mentioned this many times, so I apologize for repeating myself. I just love this tactic so much. My weekly strategy wouldn’t work without it. Every workday, I list 3 professional and 3 personal things to do. I got this idea from brain coach Jim Kwik, and have been using his method for years.

I keep a Monday-Friday notepad on my desk and, at the beginning of every week, I fill in my tasks for each day. I also schedule in my floating tasks. I do this all in pencil, so I can rework my schedule when needed. I try not to make any of my daily to-do’s too big or overwhelming.

The great thing about having a personal category is that I still have it together outside of work, but this limits how many non-work distractions I have throughout the day.

If I don’t get around to doing a task one day, I just carry it over to the next day. Surprisingly, I’m still left with a few open slots to fill in as new things pop up in my schedule.

3. Accountability Buddies

Have you ever had a big project that you’re scared to tell people about? This used to be me. I would keep big projects secret because I was scared of what other people would think. I was worried their reactions would sway me away from the project.

What I’ve realized more recently is that this is opposite of what I should have been doing. Your loved ones will support your big endeavors. They also make great accountability buddies. When people are regularly asking you how your big project is going, it’s motivation to get to work. To take it a step further, you can even ask people to hold you accountable to deadlines. Maybe, in return, you can hold them accountable to a project they want to accomplish. This works, trust me.

I’m a self-proclaimed accountability coach for my immediate family. If someone has a big dream they want to accomplish, I check in on them to see how its going. While I’m probably annoying them in the moment when they aren’t making progress, I know its best for them in the long run. There’s no better feeling of working towards a big goal and actually accomplishing it.

4. My Echo Show

If there’s one thing in my studio that helps me get things done, its this. I’m surprised by how much I use this. To me, the cost was well worth it. I use my Echo Show to set reminders, timers, and play music while I work. If I’m in the middle of working and I want to know the weather or time, I just ask Alexa. This device even plays movies if you like watching things while you create.

Most importantly, my Echo Show prevents me from having to keep my phone right next to me. My phone is the opposite of a productivity buddy. If I want to get things done, it’s me and Alexa. I put my phone in another room and turn it on silent so I won’t be bothered by distractions from the outside world.

5. Momentum

This one might sound silly, but momentum is everything when it comes to productivity. As you may have experienced, getting things done gets easier over time.

The hardest part isn’t actually getting started. Not for me. Usually, I’m excited to start a project. For me, the hardest part is continuing on after the excitement wears off. But once you get over that initial hump, and make a substantial progress on a project, it gets easier.

And once you accomplish one big project, every project after that gets easier. You gain confidence in yourself that you can do amazing things. I often hear famous authors say they spent decades trying to write their first book, and have since written hundreds of books. I attribute this phenomenon to momentum.

So what does this mean for us? Hopefully its motivation to keep going when things get tough. Push over that hump, and get your first big project done. And then the next. Knowing things will get easier is a comfort to me when I’m working. I can already feel momentum kicking in on some of these projects I’ve wanted to accomplish for years.

For more of my thoughts on momentum, check out this post on The Curve of Starting a New Endeavor.

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I hope this post inspires you to make your dream projects a reality. Start today, and don’t push them off any longer. I’m rooting for you! And if anyone needs an accountability partner, send me a message. I’m more than happy to check in on you to see how your big project is coming along.